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Researchers have identified, in theory, a new storage system to hold large quantities of hydrogen fuel, which could power cars in a more cost-effective, consumer-friendly, and environmentally sound way. The new system is described in the Bulletin of the American Chemical Society to be published August 6th (published online July 6).

This theoretical research moves
scientists another step closer in the exploration of alternative fuel
sources and methods to store hydrogen fuel.

"We are going to face an energy
crisis at some point in the future. It's not a question of if, but
when. There is a high demand on oil, particularly due to a growing
global population," said lead author Puru Jena, Ph.D., a professor of
physics at VCU.

"We need an energy source that is
abundant, cost effective and renewable, burns clean and does not
pollute," he said. "Today, approximately 75 percent of the oil
currently available is used for transportation alone. Any solution to
the energy crisis has to take into account the amount of energy we
spend on transportation."

Hydrogen is the most abundant
element in the universe and considered an ideal energy carrier. When
hydrogen burns, it produces only water and thus, does not pollute the
atmosphere. For this reason, it is considered an ideal alternative when
discussing theoretical alternatives to fossil fuels.

... Jena and his team describe the theoretical composition of a material --
a lithium-coated buckyball -- that may have the potential to serve as a
storage vessel for hydrogen atoms. A buckyball is a soccer ball-shaped
nanoparticle containing 60 carbon atoms. Essentially, the lithium
buckyballs absorb the hydrogen, which means that one lithium atom can
store five hydrogen molecules. According to Jena, the theoretical
buckyball, which was designed using computer modeling, has 12 lithium
atoms and can store 60 hydrogen molecules.

"The biggest
hurdle in a hydrogen economy is to find materials to store hydrogen,"
Jena said. "The storage materials in question need to have the ability
to store hydrogen and allow us to take it out, which means the system
must be reversible and operate under moderate temperatures and pressures."

Theoretical
and experimental work by other researchers has proposed using
titanium-coated buckyballs for hydrogen storage. However, those
researchers observed that the titanium atoms had a tendency to react
with each other and form clusters on the surface of the buckyball. Once
clustering takes place, the properties of the buckyball are no longer
effective for storing hydrogen in large quantities.

Industry
standards require materials that store hydrogen to have a high
gravimetric density of 9 weight percent, and high volumetric density of
70 grams/liter.

"The material that we have designed is capable of
storing hydrogen at a gravimetric density of 13 weight percent -- so it
exceeds the industry target. Also, the volumetric density is
approximately twice that of liquid hydrogen. This theoretical work has
promise, provided one can make it in large enough quantities," said
Jena.

....Jena is currently
collaborating with scientists who will conduct experiments to prove
that hydrogen can be stored in the lithium buckyballs. Furthermore,
these investigators will determine the necessary temperature and
pressure conditions for storage and removal of hydrogen from the
lithium buckyballs, and how to produce these materials in large
quantities.